New Delhi: Calling it a welcome step, oncologists hailed the Central government’s move to exempt customs duty on three more cancer drugs.
The three drugs are Trastuzumab deruxtecan (for breast cancer), Osimertinib (lung cancer drug for EGFR mutation), and Durvalumab (for lung and biliary tract cancers). Deruxtecan drug can be used in all cancers with Her2 positive gene
Jyotsna Govil, Chairperson of the Indian Cancer Society, was quoted as saying that the exemption has “given a relief to the countless cancer patients” in the country.
According to Dr Shyam Aggarwal, Chairman, Department of Medical Oncology, at Sir Ganga Ram Hospital, all imported life-saving drugs are costly and customs duty exemption is a welcome step.
In her seventh budget speech, Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman also called for exemptions in custom duties on X-ray tubes and flat panel detectors.
The Union Budget has also increased expenditure for the National Health Mission (NHM) by about Rs 4,000 crore and also proposed digital public infrastructure (DPI) at a population scale.
The Budget increased spending from Rs 31,550 crore to Rs 36,000 crore for FY 2024-25 under the NHM.
NHM is a Center-sponsored scheme that primarily caters to primary and secondary healthcare service delivery in the country. With the increase, the government aims to invest in primary and secondary public healthcare facilities and reduce the public's out-of-pocket expenditure.
